


Somewhere along the way

by Arienhod



Series: Plot bunny farm [8]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, and Olicity, and then a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-27 22:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6302101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arienhod/pseuds/Arienhod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somewhere along the way she became a thief, and stole Oliver away.</p><p>Now he was with the one he meant for, with the one meant for him. And the way they smiled at each other was more magical than anything she ever experienced. That was what true love looked like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This plot bunny attacked while I was washing dishes, and refused to leave me alone.

Somewhere along the way their marriage stopped being about love and became about obligation.

It began with a fairytale wedding every girl dreams about, a wonderful start into their life together as husband and wife. He was as handsome as always, his blue eyes full of wonder as she walked down the aisle. Their wedding party was in a full swing when she saw Diggle, Oliver's best man, talk to one of her bridesmaids.

The bright yellow gown she wore was like a beacon in the darkness. She looked as bright and sunny as always.

But her face revealed deep sorrow, and she shook her head at something Dig said. Moments later she smiled, a fake smile she wore too often lately.

They were on their way to the honeymoon a few hours late, and that event was pushed in the back of her mind as she enjoyed the sandy beaches of Bali with her husband. It didn't matter to her what was said that night, it really didn't.

She was happy.

And then she wasn't.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she became jealous for no longer being the most important woman in his life.

With the birth of their daughter his entire focus was at their little girl. Emily Dearden Queen. He was the one to name her, the one to hold her first, the one who picked out her godmother.

And suddenly his entire world turned around the little baby that stole his heart faster than any woman he ever loved. He was out of the bed, and in the nursery before she even managed to open her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if he even slept next to her, or if he got his rest solemnly during the moments when he held their daughter in his arms while seated in the soft armchair in the corner of the nursery.

After all she caught him dozing off in there countless times.

Even now, two years later, she felt left out.

When he wasn't working in Queen Consolidated, or protecting the city hidden behind a mask and a green hood, he was doing something with Emily. And that left very little time for the two of them.

She stood on the top of their stairs and listened as Oliver told their little girl about the ZOO excursion he was planing that Saturday.

Earlier that day he informed her about the reservation he made for her in the local spa for Saturday morning, and she was convinced it was a part of his plan for their wedding anniversary. First spa and later a romantic lunch, maybe a trip to the winery that opened few miles from Star city, and at the very end a night only to themselves, because Thea would babysit Emily.

Instead she was invited to tag along on their small father-daughter field trip if she wanted. At the question why not some other day she was informed the ZOO just got baby pandas and they had to see them right away. Emily loved pandas, her favorite stuffed animal was a giant panda in the corner of her room that she got as a gift for her second Birthday from one of her dad's friends.

She spent the Saturday on the couch in front of a TV.

It was a better option than to tag along behind her husband and daughter as they enjoyed themselves, and didn't really need her as the third wheel to their fun.

* * *

Somewhere along the way they learned Nyssa became a new Ra's al Ghul and disbanded the League of Assassins.

When the dark haired woman came to Star city to visit she instantly noticed things weren't functioning. Nyssa's presence made her question her choices once more, and make decisions she was certain were the only right ones. It was impossible to go back in time and fix things before they even become broken.

When Oliver returned home that evening he found the house empty. He knew Emily was with Thea, his sister demanded to take her niece shopping for the perfect dress since her wedding to Roy was two weeks away. But that didn't explain why the house was completely silent. He expected to at least hear the TV, or maybe the clicking on the laptop keyboard.

Instead of his wife he was welcomed by a manila envelope on the coffee table. Inside it were already signed divorce papers. Despite not having a prenup she didn't want anything from him, she wouldn't even keep his last name.

He knew why she did it, knew what drove her away, and he regretted it. But that didn't mean he would do it differently if he had the chance to relive these past years. Because Oliver wasn't in any way delusional to say his daughter wouldn't come first no matter what. He was aware he could have made adjustments, but he simply didn't know how. How to give his wife attention she desired when all his little girl needed to do was smile at him and he was ready to push everything aside and spend time with her.

After all, he answered a plastic orange phone during a video conference with investors in Tokyo after Emily sneaked into his study and informed him he had an important call.

Regret ate at him but he signed the papers.

In one of the rare moments since their daughter's birth he would give her what she wanted of him.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she learned he was in love with another woman.

And silently she had to admit to herself this wasn't anything new. He was in love with the blonde for years, but never acted on those feelings, never allowed himself to lower his defenses and admit his affection.

After years of being someone she never supposed to be she was once more Sara Lance, and she was happy. Nyssa was the one that was always meant for her, the one who always focused on her and loved her above all others.

Leaving Emily behind didn't hurt as much as it should have, because she knew her little girl was safe and happy. And maybe now, when she was no longer in the picture, Emily would get a mother that didn't mind sharing Oliver, who understood the bond between father and daughter.

Because she never did.

A quick text to Laurel, to inform her sister she found a place for herself where she could have anything she ever wanted or needed, Sara sighed in content and turned to look at her lover who lied next to her in the large bed.

Nyssa was there. She wasn't leaving.

And Sara was happy.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she learned Oliver remarried.

The online tabloid article told a tale of a small private ceremony in the yard of the Queen mansion in front of a dozen guests. An anonymous source close to the couple said the ceremony was even more beautiful then the one six years age when Oliver Queen married his first wife, only for them to divorce three years later.

The source also informed the reporter the bride didn't make things easy for her new husband. In fact she kept refusing him, and his advances. It took several proposals until she finally agreed to marry him, and only after making sure Emily Queen was okay with getting a stepmother.

Sara focused on the small photo at the top of the page and a pang of guilt washed through her.

A smile on Felicity's face was real, honest. Nothing like the fake one she put on that night when she saw the blonde speaking with Dig during the wedding party. She now knew what Diggle asked the blonde, she now realizes he knew all along Felicity loved Oliver and seeing him marry another hurt her.

And Sara made things worse by asking her to be her bridesmaid, to stand few feet away from the man she loved and watch him pledge his undying love to a woman that wasn't her.

Sara sighed.

Somewhere along the way she became a thief, and stole Oliver away, only to lose him to their daughter. It was only fair, she deserved to feel the pain of a loss.

Now he was with the one he meant for, with the one meant for him. And the way they smiled at each other was more magical than anything she ever experienced. That was what true love looked like.

With the soft click the laptop was closed and Sara turned to look at her partner. It was early morning, the perfect time for a long run through the woods behind their home, and she knew Nyssa would be joining her like she did every morning.

Maybe she would visit Star city again someday, see Emily who was growing into a lovely girl, who was still adored by her daddy and now had a new mommy who loved her. Maybe she would stay with Laurel for a few days, see how sister was doing in her private life and her demanding job as the DA. Maybe she would help the team take down a particularly difficult bad guy that threatened the peace of the city they protect.

Maybe... somewhere along the way.


	2. Chapter 2

Somewhere along the way everything she dreamed of turned to dust.

'Because of what I do I can't be with someone I could care about' in her mind became 'I can be with other women but I can't be with you', and it broke her heart. But she never mentioned it to anyone.

Still Diggle knew.

He asked her about it during the wedding party. He asked if she was alright, said he knew how she felt for Oliver and that he was sorry. And she stood in front of him and said she was fine.

She wasn't.

How could she be when she just few hours ago walked down the aisle towards the man she loved, only to move aside with other bridesmaids and watch how his eyes sparkled as Sara appeared.

And now she stood on the balcony, dressed in a bold yellow dress she hated because it made her look like an omelet, and put on a fake smile she wore far too often.

She was fine.

She was fine.

She had to be.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she fell in love.

Emily was tiny, and wrinkly, and fragile... and Felicity adored her from the moment she saw the newborn. And in that moment, that perfect moment, as she stood next to Oliver and looked down at the sleeping child in his hands she didn't feel like her heart was breaking.

She didn't think how this little girl, this baby that belonged to the man she loved, will call another woman mommy, while she will be nothing more than aunt Felicity.

And with each year she adored the little girl with blue eyes and blonde locks more and more. The inquisitive child that loved colorful things, pandas, and her daddy. They had a lot in common.

On the few occasions she was asked to babysit Emily always wanted to watch a documentary or a cartoon about her favorite black and white bears. That was why, the moment she saw the article online, Felicity printed it out and marched into Oliver's office to share the news with him.

He knew right away what she had in mind and he even suggested she joins them that weekend.

Instantly Felicity's heart fell, and she declined. There was only one thing worse than being a third wheel, being the forth one. Being the outsider during a family ZOO visit.

If Oliver noticed the change in her demeanor he didn't mentioned it. Instead he asked her if she could book a spa day for Sara, cause he had no idea which of the things they offered to pick.

And like a good Executive Assistant she did what he asked of her.

She always will.

* * *

Somewhere along the way things changed.

It started with a call from Oliver one rainy night. He asked if she could ping Sara's phone and instantly Felicity's mind went into overdrive. And while she was typing as fast as she could, and her mind went over all the possible scenarios and bad guys that might have went after the Canary, she almost missed Oliver's next words.

"She left the divorce papers."

Felicity's heart skipped a beat, and she hated herself for that. Her friend was hurting, and she was being selfish. So she just promised she'll find Sara for him.

It wasn't a difficult task, and she had a feeling Sara was intentionally making things easy for her. She could have easily prevented Felicity from finding her by taking out the battery from her phone. She didn't, and in less then an hour she had the location and a clear view of Sara with the help of a surveillance camera opposite of the small diner.

She mailed Oliver the address together with a picture of Sara enjoying a meal with a familiar dark haired woman.

She received a 'thank you' within minutes, and a request to schedule a meeting with the company's PR department for the next day. She knew what that meant.

His marriage was over.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she learned he felt the same way she did.

It started with a coffee, nothing extraordinary or surprising. Just a cup of coffee that waited for her on her desk when she arrived to work one morning. The next thing was a shared meal during a lunch break. Also something that happened before.

And while Felicity knew that this was one of the few times they went to lunch together in the past three years since he and Sara got married she didn't add much meaning to it.

And it completely escaped her notice that they haven't talked about work once.

The invitation to a family lunch came unexpected one rainy Friday. Oliver wanted her to come to his house on Sunday, and the first thing she thought was she forgot an important date. But a quick check of the calendar told her it was just another day, there was nothing special about it, apart from Oliver wanted her presence in his home.

The same thing repeated every Sunday for two months until it didn't.

Until the day he let her in, and she realized the house was surprisingly quiet. Usually Emily's laughter echoed through the rooms; the sound of her footsteps as she rushed to greet her aunt Licity.

That day there were only two of them.

That day there was no family lunch.

But a date.

* * *

Somewhere along the way she took a name that she never believed would be hers.

Felicity Queen.

Wife of Oliver Queen and step-mother of Emily Queen.

It took three years, and five proposals before she agreed to become his wife. And that was only after Emily came to her one day, sighed dramatically, and asked Felicity to marry her daddy cause he was being grumpy again cause she said 'no' again.

The next day Felicity proposed to Oliver.

The small wedding was held in the yard of the Queen mansion, in front of two dozen guests.

There was no grandiose ballroom, no army of bridesmaids in dresses they didn't like, no frills. Just those closest to them, that they wanted to share their happy day with.

Emily was beaming when she walked down the aisle in a lovely white dress with green details. She was the flower girl, and she took the responsibility very seriously. John Diggle Jr. was the ring-bearer, with the little help from his mother.

And Felicity... Felicity didn't even care when several photos got leaked to the press. She didn't care how the articles described her, what the public thought about her.

She was happy with a husband that loved her back as much as she loved him, and with a daughter that enjoyed curling in Felicity's lap and listen to stories about brave knight in green armor, that asked a wise and powerful enchantress for help after being hurt, and together they saved the kingdom... and lived happily ever after.

Felicity didn't pinged Sara's phone after that first time when Oliver asked her, so she didn't know where the other woman was, only that she was well thanks to sporadic calls to her sister.

But as she sat in the doctor's office, and waited for him to confirm what she suspected, Felicity considered contacting Sara and thanking her.

It felt selfish to do so, arrogant... but Felicity was still grateful for the chance to be happy, no matter under which circumstances that happened.

When the doctor walked back in and informed her that yes, she was pregnant, all thought about anything else, but the baby growing inside of her, were pushed aside. Right now she needed to focus on this baby that was part Oliver and part her. And how to tell her husband he was going to be a father again.

Turns out he suspected for a week, and wasn't all that surprised.

And as they laid in their bed that night Felicity once more remembered what she considered doing, and decided someday she will... somewhere along the way.


End file.
